The Job (II)
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Unknown Regions See also: Imminent Impact Part 2: Contract Enforcement; Part 3: Conclusion In need of credits, the heroes follow a lead to meet a Protocol Droid called TT4, an "Irregular transport specialist" for the Tor-Ro-Bo Corporation. The heroes can meet with the Droid on 244Core, on a nearby world, or via Comlink. Although TT4 freely tells the heroes who it works for, the Droid makes it clear that the involvement of Tor-Ro-Bo must remain secret. If the corporation is publicly linked with the mission, the heroes will forfeit a significant percentage of their pay. TT4 is straightforward about the operation and negotiates in good faith (Will Defense 15, Perception +9, Persuasion +9). The Droid also has the authority to haggle with the heroes. It initially offers them 10,000 local credits up front and 50,000 more upon delivery of semiprocessed TOL-type ore to a cargo ship waiting at specific coordinates, a short hyperspace jump away from 244Core. Through the Cluster Because 244Core is orbited by a series of Skyscan stations, TT4 gives the heroes an approach vector through one of the denser asteroid clusters around the planet. The Skyscan network is operated by several corporations, and the stations nearest that cluster are run by Tor-Ro-Bo, so the path should be safe. However, a few other stations are close enough to have a chance of detecting the heroes' ship. The heroes must make a series of DC 20 Pilot checks as their ship traverses the cluster. Failure indicates that a Skyscan station might detect the ship with a successful DC 25 Use Computer check (Skyscan operators have Use Computer +11). If a station detects the ship, rival corporations mobilize to intercept the heroes on the planet's surface; for the time being, however, the heroes have no way to tell whether they have been detected. In addition, while in the asteroid cluster, a Pilot check failure by 5 or more results in a Collision with an asteroid of Colossal or smaller size. Such Collisions can be avoided per the standard rules. Processing Center 879 Once the heroes land on 244Core, their first step is to reach Tor-Ro-Bo Processing Center 879 in Zone 54g undetected. The center is located on an island 15 kilometers long, 10 kilometers wide, and about 30 kilometers from the nearest continent. As the heroes approach the facility, they are contacted by 879's traffic control. They are expected and treated like any of the other half-dozen Starships on approach or departure vectors. When the heroes are within sight of the facility, read the following text aloud: "Through a cloudless, sunny sky, you approach Processing Center 879 over the calm water of a vast ocean. Ahead, you see a large island on which six tall mountain peaks form a spine along its length. With the exception of a few antenna and sensor arrays, the peaks are the only undeveloped land on the island. Below them, Processing Center 879 features sprawling machinery, industrial buildings of every size, massive power generators, automated plants, and dozens of landing platforms on which rest small airspeeders, large bulk freighters, and everything in between. There is a staggering amount of activity as speeders and ships descend and depart. The center seems to be running at or near capacity." "You are directed to Landing Platform 9, near the middle of the island, in a valley created by two of the larger mountains. The platform is wedged between rows of monstrous storage bins and a tangle of enormous pipes and machinery, which includes a mixture of aging equipment patched up with newly repaired parts and pieces." As the heroes' ship descends, traffic control orders it into a hangar connected to the platform. The hangar, concealed by the giant pipes and machinery, is not obvious until the ship is just above the platform. When the heroes land, they start to feel the effects of the planet's heavy Gravity, which affects their actions while on 244Core unless they are used to such environments. As they exit the ship, they are greeted by a very small, wheeled, bright orange Droid (Similar to a Mouse Droid) called 5T4. In a slightly grating monotone voice, 5T4 welcomes them to the center and arranges to begin loading their ship. Nearby, dozens of massive metal crates (Of sizes Large to Huge) hold raw TOL-type metallic ore, and a pair of hulking labor Droids stands ready to begin loading. It is obvious that some crates will need both Droids to move them. The Droids are almost entirely painted pale green, and their many dents and scratches attest to their heavy use over the years. Due to the labor Droids' slow speed and the heavy Gravity, loading takes a minimum of 1 hour. About 45 minutes into the job, one of the Droids makes a loud popping sound and breaks down while loading a crate. As hydraulic fluid from its broken heavy claw sprays everywhere, it drops the crate, knocking off the lid. The sandy mixture of semiprocessed ore spills into the heroes' ship and down the lift ramp. The mixture is not hazardous, but an industrial cleaning Droid appears and begins vacuuming up the sand and depositing it in an empty container brought by the other labor droid. The broken Droid collapses where it malfunctioned, preventing the ship's hatch from closing. Incoming If the Skyscan stations did not detect the heroes during their approach, proceed with the following events in the order presented below. If Skyscan detected the heroes, skip to Contract Enforcement, then return to this section after half of the attackers have been destroyed or routed. While the heroes deal with the spilled ore, read the following text aloud: "A loud, hornlike alarm blares a continuous staccato pattern over the island's loudspeakers. A moment later, an automated voice interrupts. 'Alert! Meteor storm warning! Impact time estimate: 30 minutes. Facility damage estimate: light to moderate. Starships and speeders are advised to leave the impact area at their earliest convenience.'" The alarm continues and cannot be turned off. Impact time is updated every 5 minutes, with additional warnings as needed. 5T4 calls the heroes over to a holographic display at one side of the hangar. It switches on the projector, and a representation of the incoming Meteorite Storm appears, showing it's estimated descent through the atmosphere toward Processing Center 879. The Droid explains that an unexpected asteroid collision has sent a shower of small meteors into the planet's atmosphere. (If the heroes collided with an asteroid during their descent, they started a domino effect. Otherwise, the shower is just part of the system's natural environmental effects.) If the heroes hurry, there should be just enough time to finish loading their ship and blast off before the meteors pummel the center. If the heroes do nothing, the functioning labor Droid takes 45 minutes to remove it's broken counterpart and finish loading the crates on it's own, which means the heroes will not escape before impact. If the heroes help by moving the damaged Droid out of the way, the other labor Droid can finish loading in about 30 minutes- still not good enough. If the heroes Jury-Rig or otherwise Repair the damaged Droid, they reduce the loading time to 15 minutes. However, they must spend a minimum of 10 minutes repairing the Droid. Up to two heroes can aid in a DC 25 Mechanics check to complete the Repairs. In addition, a DC 20 Perception check is required to locate suitable replacement hydraulic fluid from a nearby piece of machinery. The cleaning Droid also takes 10 minutes vacuuming up the spilled ore and depositing it into the replacement container. The Droid occasionally gets in the way while loading continues. If anyone walks on the spilled ore, the Droid tries to vacuum the bottom of their shoes, citing the importance of protecting Tor-Ro-Bo's valuable product. Continued in Part 2: Contract Enforcement